Let Me Love You
by swaggyzebraTW
Summary: Set in City of Bones. Clary and Jace have a complicated relationship; both love each other, but there are many obstacles in their way. One morning, a meeting is called in the institute, and Jace's and Clary's relationship changes drastically. Is this change for the better? Or will it cause them to fall into the depths of loneliness? Rated T because I am slightly paranoid. Clace.
1. News

**AN: Okay, here is my first Mortal Instruments fanfiction. I am not new to the series, I have read all of the books, (except City of Heavenly Fire of course), and I have seen the movie. Being a big Clary/ Jace fan, I knew I had to write a story for them, hence where this comes in. I named this story after Mario's Let Me Love You, and this takes place somewhere during City of Bones, probably towards the beginning. In this story, Jace and Clary did not go off looking for Valentine, nor did they find out that they were/weren't brother and sister. So, with that said, please review, and enjoy. This story can be a one shot, I guess, or, with enough support, more chapters can be written. It is up to you, the readers. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, and am making no money from this story. All rights go to Cassandra Clare, and her people. This is for entertainment purposes only.**

"Clary! Clary wake up!" A voice shouted frantically from beside me, his voice vaguely familiar, even in my sleep-induced haze.

The voice forced my eyes to snap open, my reverie successfully broken. I found myself blinking rapidly, trying desperately to adjust to the newfound light that was filling the room. I focused on a small part of my ceiling, waiting impatiently as my eyes slowly came into focus, revealing all of the cracks that resided above me.

After waiting out the first several seconds, and finally regaining the ability to see in full, I slowly turned my head to the left. I saw Jace, leaning over the side of my bed, his arms splayed nervously around my body, only touching me lightly. He had a worried expression on his normally expressionless face, and his brow was furrowed as if he was in deep concentration. Lines of concern were etched between his eyes, and skirted around his mouth, making him look older then he actually was. His golden hair was mussed from sleep, and he was shirtless, only wearing a pair of low-rising, well worn pajamas.

My eyes paused on his chest, following along the muscular planes of his body. Jace was fit, without a doubt, making it nearly impossible to turn my gaze away from him. His abdomen was hard, the skin stretched around the tight muscles that resided there. His pectorals were chiseled and defined, and had runes swirling elegantly on top of them. Scars, signs of his many battles, coated his entire torso, and I found that slightly endearing, much to my surprise. I usually hated scars, finding them gross and imperfect, but Jace's were an exception to that, and I found myself wanting to trace them with my hands...

"Earth to Clary!" Jace said loudly, breaking me out of my reverie once again. "I know you love ogling at my fine body, like all the other females in this world, but I have to talk to you."

I snapped my head up, away from his chest, and met his gaze. He had that infuriating smirk on his face, which I couldn't help but smile at. Jace, was famous for his witty remarks, and most people found him irritating for that reason. I on the other hand, loved his wit, but had also been one of the only people to see his kind, loving side. Believe it or not, Jace was really soft on the inside, his true personality hidden under his layers of tough bitterness.

I was forced to respond when Jace started waving his hands in my face. "What are you doing in here, Jace?" I questioned irritably.

"As I said earlier, princess, I have to talk to you." He said casually, while smiling.

"Well, spit it out then." I said while glancing at the clock on my bedside table, looking at the time before continuing. "It's two in the morning. What could possibly be that important?"

"Maryse and Robert sent me to get you, well , they actually sent Isabelle, but I figured you would rather wake up with something good to look at." Jace said, still smiling broadly.

"What could they possibly want with me?" I asked, incredibly tempted to fall back asleep.

"We are having a meeting in the library..."

I cut him off. "At two in the morning!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're obviously not a morning person."

"Nope." I said proudly, smiling with him.

"Get dressed, Clary. I'll make you some coffee for when you come downstairs." Jace said, before turning to walk towards the door, looking back at me once, before finally opening the door.

Glancing down at my body, I realized that I was very scantily clothed. I was only in a tanktop and shorts, and my tanktop had ridden up my stomach, while also dipping lower than usual. The result, was barely covering my chest, and showed my entire pale stomach. I pulled the tank down swiftly, and yanked the covers over my torso, hiding my previously exposed skin from Jace's view. No wonder Jace had stressed for me to get dressed...

I looked back at his retreating frame, only to see him grinning evilly. His eyes had darkened, and I could see he body trembling with laughter. His laughter was light, but audible, which made my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Jace had known all along, and chosen not to say anything, and now thought that this was funny. His laughter was now only serving to spread the heat throughout my face, and down my neck, the blush standing out against my extremely paled skin.

"See you soon Clary, try not to look like a tomato when you come down, or else they will think I did something to you." He said before stepping out of the doorway.

"Shut the lights off on your way out." I said to him, and I could hear him laughing in response to my statement.

I sighed when the door closed, knowing that if I didn't go down to the meeting, Jace would drag me down there. He had done it before, and there was no doubt that he would do it again. I dragged myself out of bed, and stumbled lazily into the bathroom, flicking on the light. A quick once over in the mirror told me that I was in desperate need of a shower. My hair was a mess, and there were large purple bags resting under my eyes.

Not wanting to look at myself any longer, I walked over to the shower, turning it on. Within a few minutes, I was showered, and dressed, and contemplating what to do with my hair. It was soaked, and being in a guest room in the institute, I didn't have the means to dry it. Surely Isabelle would have known what to do, but she wasn't here. She was probably at the meeting, waiting for me. I groaned, before grabbing a comb and running it through my hair a couple times. It was going to have to do, because I could sense that Jace was about to come fetch me, due to the fact that he had probably expected me to be in the library by now.

I was wearing an old tee shirt, and a pair of sweatpants. My sneakers were tied loosely around my feet, covered in dry mud from a previous walk in the rain. I looked tired and lazy, but at least I appeared to be clean. I could smell the coconut scent wafting up from my freshly washed hair, and a small hint of perfume. I guess it was a good thing that I smelled good, though I doubted that anyone would be close enough to notice, except maybe Jace, who was trained to notice everything anyway.

I was just walking out if the bathroom when a series of light knocks sounded on the door, closely followed by Jace's voice. "Clary, if you do not come out right now..." He began before I opened the door, successfully surprising him, and causing him to stumble through the doorway, knocking into me.

His usually graceful body crashed haphazardly into mine, knocking us both backwards. I began to fall over, but I felt a pair of arms around my waist before I hit the floor. Looking up, I saw that Jace had regained his composure, and was now supporting my body, suspending it a foot away from the hardwood floors of the bedroom. I remained still, temporarily paralyzed as Jace pulled me back to my feet.

"Sorry.." I whispered, only finding the strength to speak that single word, untrusting myself to say any more then that.

"No, it was my fault..." Jace said quietly, as if he too were speechless.

I however, knew this was not the case, because Jace Wayland was never speechless. Never once had I seen him stumble for words, especially around any woman. He could have a hundred of the world's best models, swooning over him, and he wouldn't even blink. Jace could be attacked by a large horde of demons, and not even flinch. Jace never slipped up, let alone let clumsiness get the better of him, and he most certainly, was never speechless. I must have been imagining him slipping, and his voice weakening...

"I was just heading downstairs." I stated, suddenly regaining my composure.

"Yeah, I noticed." Jace said, as a small grin found its way to his face. "You look beautiful, Clary."

"Th-thanks" I stammered.

Did Jace just call me beautiful? Never, had anyone besides my mother called me beautiful. I hadn't even seen myself as anyone that looked anywhere close to beautiful, in fact, I thought I looked the complete opposite. Especially right now, in crappy, oversized clothes, with my hair simply combed, still wet from my shower. How could Jace even say that, hanging out with Isabelle all day? Hell, he had women swooning for him all of the time, and most of them looked much better then I did. Therefore, I must have misheard Jace. Right?

"I mean it, Clary." Jace said suddenly, as if he had read my thoughts. I blushed, my cheeks turning red for the second time this morning.

"Sure.." I mumbled quietly, allowing sarcasm to drip from my tone, thinking that he couldn't hear me.

"Do you not see it?" He asked, sounding astonished. I shook my head.

"No, Jace, I guess I don't. Let's just go."

Please drop it, I thought. I have had a secret crush on Jace since I had first met him, and frankly, I even think I might be in love with him. There was just something about him that I found myself drawn to, his charisma certainly helping him with that. His wit, his sweet side, his strength; I found myself wanting it all. I also knew that I didn't have a chance with him.

"Okay, I guess. Are you okay, Clary?" Jace sounded relatively concerned, which surprised me. Since when did Jace care about me?

I walked into the hall, leading the way towards the library. In the week that I had been here, training, I had learned my way around the maze of seemingly endless corridors and hallways. I knew my way to each of the Lightwood's rooms, the kitchen, the greenhouse, the training room, just to name a few. I had found out the secret to finding the way through the madness. Apparently, the halls were set up in squares, that were interconnected, and if you followed the path, you would eventually get to where you were going. It also helped to memorize landmarks, such as paintings, that lead to short cuts.

I answered Jace, feigning nonchalance. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

He looked torn, as if he was mentally debating with himself. "You seem... Off." he stated.

"Well, it is two in the morning," I said, still pretending to be okay.

"I don't think that's it." He said boldly, before grabbing my hand, and pulling me to a stop in the middle of the hallway.

I glanced down at our connected hands. "What do you want, Jace?"

"The truth, which you seem persistent upon keeping from me." He stated, while studying my eyes as if he could detect the lies from within them.

"You think I'm lying, Jace? You barely even know me." I said hotly, making myself seem upset at his assumptions.

"No, I know your lying. Just tell me what's on your mind."

I sighed while rolling my eyes. I had no idea what to say about that, so I just looked idly around the hall. How could Jace know exactly when I was lying? Surely he couldn't read minds, so how was he getting to know so much about me? We had only known each other for three weeks, and even then he had shown little interest in me. He had often avoided me whenever possible, and rarely spoke to me. I had always figured it was because he didn't care, or he had better things to do. Better girls to hang out with.

"I am just thinking about how much fun this 'meeting' will be, with you." I said coldly, trying to conceal my true thoughts from Jace.

"There is a fine line between sarcasm, and outright hostility; and you've seemed to have crossed it. Seriously, Clary, I want to help you. I can't do that if you keep hiding your feelings from me." He said sweetly, before moving closer to me, his face now only inches from mine.

I nervously sucked in a harsh breath, the closeness of his face making my nerves tingle. "Tell me what you want, Clary."

His hot breath splayed across my face, making my cheeks grow hot. Before I even knew what I was doing, I inched my face closer to his, until we were kissing. His lips were hard at first, unmoving, but quickly softened. Within seconds, he was returning my kiss, with more vigor then I had originally used. Jace's mouth claimed dominance over mine, his lips demanding. My own mouth had gone pliant, and I gasped as he nipped at my lower lip.

I had never been kissed this way before, my only kisses had been short, innocent pecks. This kiss, was far from innocence. When my lips had parted slightly, Jace had moved his tongue into my mouth, tangling with my own tongue. The sensation was odd at first, but it soon became enjoyable. Jace even pulled a noise from my throat that I hadn't even known existed.

All too soon, Jace pulled away, panting heavily. I soon realized that I had been in need of oxygen, and that the break had been necessary, in order for me to remain conscious. Jace kept a hand on my cheek, gently cradling my face while we caught our breaths. It was another whole minute before either of us spoke, and it was Jace who had broken the silence.

"That's what was on your mind?" He asked loudly, his laughter barely being contained.

I simply nodded. "In that case, I want to be on your mind more often. That was amazing."

I could only nod as he continued to speak, my legs feeling a little weak in the knees. "I would love to continue what we started, but unfortunately, we have a meeting to attend." He continued, before leading me back down the hall, once again on the way to the library, as if that small interruption had never occurred.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this story. Please review, and tell whether or not you think I should continue this. Also, please check out some of my other stories, on my profile. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Let the Training Begin

Chapter 2: Let the Training Begin

**AN: Hey guys, I hope you all had a lovely week, unlike me. I had a bunch of math tests, and homework, all while being very sick. I am still sick, unable to get a good night of sleep, and my week just hasn't been... good. However, I did manage to write this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it. School will keep me busy for the next five days at least, but I will try to update on all my fics soon. Reviews help encourage me to shove my homework aside, and pick up my tablet and write. So please, if you care about this story at all, review. It truly means a lot, and makes me really happy. Anyway, thanks again, enjoy this chapter.**

Jace and I continued our walk to the library in utter silence, only the occasional glance shared between us. Our pace was brisk, my shortened legs struggling to keep up with his lengthened strides. My paces, being so short, made my legs work twice as hard to maintain the speed then Jace's. My height was once again getting in the way, much to my irritation. Life was so unfair. Why couldn't I be one of the many females in this world blessed with being tall, having long, toned legs?

As I walked along, I caught the occasional glimpse of Jace's face. There seemed to be a permanent smirk etched onto his features, one of the only signs displayed in result to our recent make-out session. His lips seemed slightly enlarged, but that was probably unnoticeable to the untrained or unexpecting eye. As for the smirk, most would probably write that off as a bit of Jace's arrogant attitude. From here, it looked as if our secret would be kept safe, as long as I could keep it.

Jace was a lovely liar, despite the fact that he rarely lied. He had a poker face as inpenatratable as marble, and it was nearly impossible to see through it. Even his eyes would resemble a murky pond, making the viewer unable to see the truth that rested on the bottom of the golden lakes of his eyes. Jace never fidgeted while he lied, or at any other time to be honest. If there was an award for the best liar, I would singlehandedly offer it to Jace. Whether or not that was a good trait to have, I was unsure of. It probably didn't matter one way or the other, but I guess it is a good ability to have.

I on the other hand, was one of the worst liars on the planet. Everytime I would even consider telling a fib, or try to exaggerate, it became obvious that I was lying. In middle school, I was often called "Clary the truth telling berry". The berry part was referring to my hair color, which was as vibrant and red as a cherry; and the truth telling part, was obviously about my inability to lie. I just simply found myself unable to lie without giving it away. I would always fiddle my thumbs, or blush crimson, or stutter. At the end of each lie I have ever told, I had always given a tell-tale smile, that was one of my trademarks while lying. So, as a result, I almost never bothered lying. It just wasn't worth bothering, as I would only embarrass myself.

Jace paused at the door to the library, before holding the door open for me. "Ladies first..." He said, with a theatrical bow.

I giggled a little at his foolishness, and offered him a sloppy curtsy in return. "Thank you, oh fine gentleman." He laughed lightly at that, before ushering me inside.

Despite this being my thousandth time in the room, I couldn't help but marvel at the majesty of the Institute's library. The ceilings, carved from ancient cherry and cedar, reached up to seemingly no end. Every shelf that we passed, was coated in neatly packed volumes that ranged in age and genre. Each shelf featured intricate carvings, that were etched into the wood. Brushed metals spiralled at each stop, serving as elaborate book ends. There was another floor in the library, that was fenced off with decorative porch railings. In the middle of the main floor, sat a large globe that was coated in continents, each one emblazoned by loops of gold, adding to the beauty of the room. The library was simply breathtaking, no matter how many times I entered, no matter how many hours I spent absorbing its loveliness. And, despite Jace's hatred of the word, I could only describe the area as magical.

I spotted Maryse at a large oak table, and I walked over to her. When I was close enough, I could also spot Robert, who was sat on one of the sofas. Both of them had grim expressions on their face, but then again, when did they ever have smiles on their faces? I could also see that both Robert and Maryse had their suitcases parked next to them. They were headed back to Idris. Again. Maryse offered me a brief smile, which was obviously faked.

"Hello, Clary."

I gave her a weak smile, still curious to why I was down here at two in the morning. They never called anyone down when they left for Idris, especially this early in the morning. I decided to feign nonchalance. "Hi."

Robert nodded in acknowledgement to my presence, and motioned for me to sit down. I looked back at Jace, who simply shrugged before sitting down himself. Maryse was terse, and quick to the point. "Robert and I are going to Idris for a week, and we want you to train more, Clary."

"Okay? Do you want me to work out more, or something? Why did you call me down this early, just to tell me that?" I fired irritably, curiosity buried underneath my bitterness.

"No, Clary. We mean that you should actually spar with another shadowhunter, like Isabelle or Alec.." Robert answered, feigning nonchalance, yet I could see that he rather not be in this situation.

I still didn't understand why this was worth waking me up for. "Okay? Jace can help me. I still don't understand your reasoning for urgency..."

"Clary, the Clave is coming in three days, and they expect you to be ready to fight some demons. You must start training immediately." Maryse urged, finally explaining why this was such an urgent situation.

Apparently, the Clave thought it was reasonable for me to suddenly develop the skills to kill demons, in only three days. I had already trained for a couple weeks, but I was by no means ready to fight. And, now I only had three days to learn. This goal was simply unrealistic, and nearly impossible. Why did the clave need me to be trained, in three days? What was the reasoning behind the deadline? Why did the clave even care about my shadowhunting education, as long as I was learning? It just didn't make any sense.

It was Jace who spoke next, and his response was a little less subtle then mine. "What! That's not possible! Tell the Clave they can..."

"Jace, language. We do not know of the clave's reason, but they insist that it is done. The easiest way to train her is to be brutal and to spar. Now, we truly must go. I wish you the best of luck." Maryse said solemnly, before standing.

Robert followed her lead, picking himself off of his previous spot on the sofa. They both grabbed their suitcases in synchronization, which I found quite creepy, though I would never say so. As they walked towards the other side of the library, to the portal, Robert exchanged one last glance with us over his shoulder. It was a sorrowful, pitiful, nervous smile that conveyed his concern. It became obvious that he doubted that I could meet the deadline. I couldn't blame him though, I didn't even believe in myself. This deadline for me was seemingly impossible at this point.

The couple waved before they stepped through the portal, leaving Jace and I alone in the large space of the library. Glancing at him, I saw that he was deep in thought, his lips pressed into a thin line. His brows were furrowed, allowing worry lines to engrave themselves into his normally flawless face. There was no remnant smile from our previous actions to be seen on his face. He wasn't even hiding his emotions, the anger was displayed clearly upon his features. Every muscle was tense, and I could tell that Jace didn't believe that I could make it either. It really was hopeless.

"Jace.." I whispered softly, just loud enough to allow him to hear me.

"Clary, this is insane. Why would the Clave give you a deadline like that? It just doesn't make sense..." Jace said, the last sentence being said to himself more than to anyone else.

I knew he was right. This was madness. There was simply no way for me to learn all of the lessons in demon hunting, in only a mere three days. It just wasn't possible. In the couple weeks I had been training, I had learned a lot, but not as much as I would need to learn in the next three days. Jace hadn't even given me any weapons training yet. We had only practiced agility and hand on hand combat, which I was getting good at, and was now surpassing Alec and Isabelle. Even with that special weaponless combat training, I knew the task at hand would be difficult, if not impossible. My success was definitely improbable.

"I guess we should get started then.." I said softly, offering Jace a wry smile.

"Yeah, I guess we should." He stated dryly, while avoiding eye contact.

~Pretend that there is a lovely little line break right here.~

The air rushed out of my lungs as my back hit the training mat. I felt myself wince as my ribs hit the ground with bruising force. Looking up, I saw that Jace was on top of me, having won yet another sparring match. There was no smirk on his face, and I could tell he was past the point of enjoying his victories. Jace had already won over thirty five matches within the last three hours, while I had only beaten him three times. The most recent ones, were incredibly short, with Jace knocking me off my feet with amazing speed. Being tired, I was no longer any match for his fit, athletic, and well-trained body. It was simply becoming impossible for me to even think straight, let alone fight him. I was too tired. Too weak. Too out of shape.

"Jace..." I pleaded softly, fatigue laced into my tone, my breathing heavy and erratic.

"Come on, Clary! We have less then three days to get you trained to fight demons! Three days!" Jace said irritably, while pulling himself off me. He offered me his hand, before pulling me off the mat once again.

"Clary, you have to..."

"I know, Jace! Just like I knew the first thirty times you told me! I am sorry. I'm tired, we've been at this for three hours. Give me a break, okay?" I said, my eyes rolling and my tone agitated. I was in no mood to continue, and I just wanted to be done for the day.

I of course knew, that since it was only six in the morning, that it was unlikely that I would be done with training for any length of time. With the hours steadily ticking down, Jace was persistent that I kept training. The last few hours had been spent with me complaining, being shoved to the mat repeatedly, and being scolded and encouraged by Jace. His words were sometimes cruel, and overly honest, but his frustration was rarely displayed. I knew he was trying his best to help me, but the tension was becoming unbearable to both of us.

"I'm sorry, it's just... Stressful. I still don't understand the Clave's reasoning behind this." Jace said, before pacing nervously.

"Can we just stop for a while?" I pleaded.

He stopped pacing for a moment, only pausing long enough to answer me before he resumed his pacing once again. "Yeah, sure." He said, tension in his tone, making me instantly feel guilty for bringing him into this mess.

Deep down I realized that it wasn't my fault that all of this was happening, but I couldn't help but feel bad all the same. This timeline was causing too much stress on Jace and I, and Isabelle and Alec weren't even awake yet. It had only been a few hours since the dreaded announcement, and the tension was only going to get worse. I walked over to a nearby bench, and sat down.

"Jace.." I spoke softly, trying to coax him towards me.

He stopped, and looked directly into my eyes, his golden orbs blazing defiantly into mine. "Yeah?"

"Come over here. Pacing isn't going to help anyone." I stated, while patting my hand against the empty spot next to me.

He rolled his eyes, but sat down anyway. I reached out tentatively, lightly brushing my fingers along his shoulder, and progressively allowing them to slip along his shoulder blades, before stopping them at his spine. Glancing at his face, I could see him inhale sharply, fighting to remain focused as my hands began to trace random shapes along his clothed flesh. I felt Jace shudder, and lean into my hand, almost shamelessly. His muscles relaxed, and I took that as a sign to keep mindlessly tracing my fingers along his spinal cord.

Suddenly, much to my surprise, Jace stood up. Within a second, I felt myself be lifted off my spot on the bench, and shoved roughly into the nearby wall. I found myself in the circle of Jace's arms, pinned, while he brought his lips to my mouth with sufficient force. I was kissed with bruising urgency, Jace nipping my bottom lip before I could even begin to kiss him back.

His tongue tantalized my lips, soothing over his bite marks, all while sending shockwaves of pleasure down my spine, and I felt my toes curl in ecstasy. My arms reached around his neck, allowing my hands to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Jace's hair was soft, and silky, the fine blonde wisps wrapping around my overly-eager fingertips. Distracted, I opened my lips, giving Jace the ability to pillage around my mouth with his tongue. The fight for dominance was terse, Jace quickly winning, forcing me to relinquish all control over the kiss.

With his newfound power, Jace continued to kiss me with as much power he could manage. His hands no longer touched the wall behind me, instead winding themselves into my hair. I moaned slightly, the sound being absorbed by his lips. I felt his lips finally pull away, leaving me gasping for air. I hadn't breathed for a minute, at least, but I found myself wanting his lips more than the air around me.

Moving my head to the left a little, I allowed Jace to kiss up the column of my neck, before settling near my ear. He took the lobe in his mouth, sucking lightly, making me gasp. Jace's lips slowly moved upward a little, barely grazing the shell around my ear, before stopping momentarily to whisper to me.

"We." He punctuated his word with a kiss along my cheekbone, his voice low with seduction.

"Need." Another kiss, this time on my eyelid.

"To." He moved to my other eye, which was now closed in anticipation, awaiting his feathery light lips.

"Get." My other cheek.

"Back." His next kiss landed on my nose, right at the end.

"To." I felt his lips touch the corner of my mouth.

"Work." Jace finished, punctuating the last word with a feather-light kiss on my lips.

He detangled his hands from my hair, before quickly stepping away. Jace took a few quick, even strides away from me, pausing fifteen feet away to look over his shoulder and meet my gaze. I heard him chuckle to himself. "You coming? Or are you just going to stand there, looking like I kicked your puppy?"

"You _did _just kick my puppy." I mumbled slightly, knowing he probably could hear me despite my low voice.

He heard me, and laughed. "Come on, Clary."

Jace walked away after saying that, not even looking to see if I was following him or not.

**AN: There it was, I hope you all liked it, as the chapter was written for you, my lovely readers. Please review, it means more then I could ever say. Thanks again, and have a great day!**


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